G&L ASAT Bass

1997 ASAT Bass, beautiful tele-style natural swamp ash body, tele-style rosewood maple satin-finish neck #6 jazz bass dimensions with micro tilt adjustment, 2 pickups, pickup selector, single coil/humbucker, and active passive switching, bass treble cut/boost, bridge saddle locking. Adjustable pickup polepieces. Excellent construction, electronics, bridge. Came with a well-constructed but nauseating smelling plush-lined hardshell case (I think it's the smell of horse glue). A very versatile bass that can cop nearly any sound out there. Built like a brick shit house, you could hammer a nail with this bass.

I play in a modern rock band that requires me to use a variety of different bass sounds from song to song. As I said earlier, this bass can do it all. Leave it in passive single coil mode with the bridge pickup on only, and you've got the classic warm Jazz tone. Switch to active and you've got a more modern J bass that cuts through the mix. Same set up with the front pickup on only gives you a classic Precision tone (I normally hate Precisions, but this bass has a beautiful fat, rich tone). Active on in humbucker mode with both pickups on blows away a Stingray for slapping and punchiness (I got rid of my Stingray 'cause it had 1 great sound and that's it). I've pretty much been able to replicate a J Bass, P Bass, Stingray, Rick, you name it with this bass. I play through an Eden navigator preamp through Eden's 4 x 10 cabinet. I actually leave all the Navigator's setting flat because all the tweaking and EQing I need can be found on this bass. It would be nice if this bass were able blend both pickups, but that's a very minor criticism. Overall incredible!

Here's where I have my strongest criticisms, as there are a few things that urk me about this bass. The neck is a #6 slim smooth satin finished Jazz neck option I prefer (I am and will always be a Fender J bass man at heart), not quite as comfortable as my J basses but nice nevertheless. I acquired this bass used and it came with crappy strings on it and very high action. Even with the action high, there were dead spots on the A string at the 3rd fret and E string at the 7th fret. Unplugged, the bass rattled and buzzed like hell. I quickly changed to D'Addarrio EXL165's and spent a LOT of time playing with the truss rod and micro tilt. The bass is finally set up well for me with low action and relatively even string height spacing from neck to bridge. There's still some minor fret buzzing, but it's not audible when amplified. The E string action is still slightly higher than I'd like it to be, and this is due to the fact that the saddle locking device prevents the E saddle from dropping lower than a certain height. I don't know if it can be disengaged or not, but I haven't figured out how yet and I personally don't see the necessity for a saddle locking system anyway. Now body issues: One primary reason I bought this bass was for the ultra cool Tele stylings. Unfortunately, I don't think this design lends itself well to a bass. The bass is heavy, and the headstock will dip, which is why there are two strap buttons on the body to offset this. Unless you like playing your bass at a 90 degree angle to your body, I suggest using the lower strap button. Actually, I have a strap that loops around both buttons, as this holds the bass securely to my body without movement at about a 65-70 degree angle (or so). Also, because of the Tele design, the horn is significantly smaller than my Jazz basses, which means that the shoulder strap is falling across the front of my body rather than to the side of it like a J bass. This puts the bass at a slightly awkward contour that I've found causes my fretting arm to jut out elbow out at higher frets in order to play the bass. And, while the neck is a standard length, it makes the neck feel longer than it is. I realize that a lot of this might seem inconsequential, but I've found that the design and weight of the bass all contributes to some fatigue and strain over time.

I think this bass could withstand getting stepped on by a herd of African elephants. It's super solid, and while I was leary of a 3 bolt neck it hasn't been a problem. Hardware, electronics, are all extremely well constructed. Strap buttons seem solid, and have a wide enough lip that you could go without straplocks, I think. (And as I said, even if you dropped this bass, you wouldn't hurt it). I would definitely use this bass without a backup, but I really don't know if I'd want to go over an hour using it live, due to the body contour/weight.

I've been playing bass for 17 years, in a wide variety of musical endeavors. My main bass is a '73 Jazz bass, which I've played exclusively for 15 of those years. I'm thinking about retiring it, though, because it's getting well worn and I don't want to depreciate it anymore, so that's why I looked into the ASAT. I also have a '78 fretless Jazz and a cheap Rogue Beatle bass knockoff. I had heard about how great G & L instruments were, and I also read other Harn=mony reviews before I bought it sight unseen. I'm hoping I can eventually get used to the weight and awkward design of the ASAT, because it's damn cool looking, but not at risk of becoming a hunchback. If it were lost or stolen, I think I may opt to go for the L2000 bass instead, much more in line with a standard bass contouring. I'd also inquire about whether or not other finishes/woods are lighter. Tonally, however, you've got no gripes from me. It's one of the best sounding basses I've ever heard.

Made in 1998 in Fullerton, CA, USA. 4 string, 22 frets.
2 G&L passive humbucking pickups (adjustable pole pieces), active electronics. Tons of controls, 3 toggles: pickup selector (3 pos), series/parallel (2 pos), preamp control (3 pos: bypass/on/on treble boost)
Telecaster body style, ash body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard. Finish is natural. The bridge is G&L's saddlelock (not string thru body), tuners are G&L (non-locking) ultralites. The neck is great, fast and thin, 1.5" at nut, with a fast satin finish on the back.
The bass came with a hardshell case, a few allen wrenches, and a goofy sticker.
Overall, the features are a great deal for the money, especially the electronics and controls. There are no features missing, and the only negative on any of the features I can think of is that the hardshell case is just a little on the chintzy side.

I play mostly rock/alternative and the bass is suited for it, but its hard to imagine what its not suited for. Its versatile as hell, you can dial in a million different sounds with all the controls. Goes all the way from a deep passive growl to a super-bright twang. Great for slap, pick, or fingers, it just took a little while to find the right settings for the style.
I've been very happy with its sound both live and recording, I'm impressed with the shielding, its real quiet recording. Also the output is nice and hot.
What I don't like about the sound is that I think the bridge pickup is a hair too close to the bridge for my taste, as a result I seldom use the bridge pickup alone.

The bass came from the factory set up perfectly, no buzzing anywhere, nice fast low action. The pickups were adjusted perfectly as well. Someone who knew what they were doing set this one up, and I haven't wanted to touch a thing.
Overall, the construction of the bass is incredible, the fact that it's a handmade instrument shows, excellent craftmanship all around!
The finish is perfect as well. Real nice work.

I've only had the bass a month or so, so I won't give it a number here. But it sure seems like it will withstand a lot. Everything is real solid, and the natural finish is rock hard, should be hard to scratch (I hope).

I haven't dealt with the factory, but they have a reputation for being responsive, but you're best off going through your dealer. That's ok for me, the dealer was incredibly helpful.
The bass came with a 10 year warranty and the dealer gives free setups for the life of the instrument.

Overall I love it, I bought it after comparing it with a Ernie Ball Stingray and a Fender American Jazz Deluxe. I went for the G&L because it was cheaper (by $100-$200), it had far better construction (handmade!), and I liked the feel best. Soundwise, I found it much more versatile than the Stingray and I liked the controls better than the Jazz Bass Deluxe.
I love the way the bass looks, (the telecaster body style is awesome!), plays (perfect neck for me), and sounds. Hard to say what my favorite feature is.
For negative things, the bass is heavy, its a natural finish which only comes in a swamp ash body. Other standard finishes come in alder, if I was buying it all over, I would compare a ash body with an alder one and see if the weight is worth the tone. Also, I've heard from people that they've found the telecaster body style screws up the way it hangs (neck dip), that's why there are two offset strap buttons on the bottom end. I don't know why, but this wasn't a problem for me, it hangs well, not perfect, but close.
If it were stolen, I'd buy another one immediately. I think it's the best value around.